Kacey, protagonist of Kara Thomas's Little Monsters, had spent most of her childhood and teens in a very dysfunctional lifestyle with her single parent mother and her series of boyfriends. Eventually child protective services got called in. She was removed from her home and placed with her father and his family. She was determined to keep her distance. But her stepbrother, Andrew, made it a point to break through her defenses. And her little stepsister, Lauren, won her over. She's also acquired two besties, Bailey and Jade.
Kacey's new town, Broken Falls, has a local ghost story. A long time ago firemen had been called out to a property on Sparrow Kill, only to find it engulfed in flames, the family's five children trapped inside. The father was dead of a self inflicted gun shot.
His wife, Josephine, was never seen alive again.
"Depending on who you ask, Josephine Leeds is still here, walking up and down Sparrow Kill, her white nightdress bloody and filthy at the hem. People call her the Red Woman, and they say she can can only be spotted at night.
That's why we're here. To see for ourselves.
To scare the shit out of ourselves. Because what else is there to do during a Broken Falls winter?"
The we includes not only Jade, Bailey, and Kacey, but Lauren, reluctantly allowed to come along to prevent the parents from interfering. The plan is to conduct a seance in the still (barely) standing barn. Before they can really get started part of the barn collapses.
The next night there's a party that Kacey, Jade, and Bailey had really been looking forward to. Ominously Kacey's besties don't message her on details. Feeling that this is payback for including Lauren to buy her silence, she stays home. The next day Jade calls her to say that Bailey never made it home.
Suddenly there are search parties combing the towns and woods on days when snow doesn't make it too treacherous. At least slightly inept police officers are in everyone's faces looking for clues. The most likely culprit--the one on whose property Bailey's Smartphone was found--has an alibi. Jade is becoming increasingly hostile to Kacey. And Lauren is falling apart.
Interspersed with the narrative chapters are excerpts of Bailey's secret journal. The thoughts expressed are quite disturbing.
If twisty chillers with many dark and deadly secrets are your cup of tea, make sure to put Little Monsters on your summer reading list.
On a purrrsonal note, today the Orono Public Library is closed in honor of Juneteenh which is totally awesome! Best wishes for all my readers who observe this celebration.
A great big shout out goes out to Eugene who surprised me with an adorable class of 25 graduation 🦉.
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
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